In an extraordinary intervention breaking his vow ‘never to appear before the public’ the retired Pope Benedict XVI warned Pope Francis of relaxing the strict celibacy ordeals of Catholic priests. The retd Pope Benedict always had been a critic of Pope Francis before the latter took charge of the papacy. Pope Benedict went into seclusion for reasons not disclosed pledging his obedience to the new Pope.
Rtd. Pope Benedict’s statement is timed precisely as Pope Francis is considering to restructure the celibacy ordeals of Catholic priests. The congregation is in a heavy shortage of priests due to the strict lifestyle to be followed. The Rtd.Pope is co-authoring the book “From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy and the Crisis of the Catholic Church,” which is expected to be controversial with regard to its subject. Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah head of Vatican’s liturgy office is the co-author.
Benedict wrote the book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy and the Crisis of the Catholic Church,” along with his fellow conservative, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, who heads the Vatican’s liturgy office and has been a quiet critic of Francis. The French daily Le Figaro published excerpts of the book late Sunday; The Associated Press obtained galleys of the English edition, which is being published by Ignatius Press.
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